Let me take care of you
by Nina Vale
Summary: set during and after episode 18 AU to the original course of events in the series. DantexZhalia.


another DXZ(addiction) my another 'inbetween' fanfic, as I said, set during and little after episode 18. AU

Oh and Disclimer: I don't own Huntik

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Paris. France

Zhalia walked trough the streets, embracing her arms, and looking around with glassy eyes. From time to time her body shook from violent shivers, she had a fever, her bones ached and she wasn't feeling all to well. Actually she should be at home, resting but she couldn't. Her fever made her delirious and forced her to leave home in search of her friends in order to repay for her betrayal, also she was afraid of the Organization and preferred to be awake and on the move.

'where are they' she thought looking around in search of her former teammates 'I need to find them…I have to make up for what I did'

She tripped over her own feet and fell down, but she picked herself up and went on, still repeating in her mind that she must find others and help them. In that moment she saw two suits walking around.

'They must be here to stop Dante' she thought 'and take away Sir Lancelot's treasures'

She walked towards them and observed them from the corner of the street. They couldn't see her.

"Master Rassimov told us to wait here" said one of them "and dispose of Dante Vale and Sophie Casterwill. He said that they've escaped from mausoleum"

"It will be easy" said his companion "they're tried out and beaten by Maters' powers. It will end quick"

Zhalia walked out of her hiding place and coughed. Suits imminently turned around to face her.

"I'm ever so sorry to interrupt boys" she said trying her best to smirk like she always did "but I would reconsider that"

"It's Zhalia Moon!" called one of her opponents recognizing her "that traitor!"

The fight started. They were too close to town to use titans but still they could use some spells and martial arts. At first Zhalia had some advantage but soon her luck changed. The tiredness returned and black and white spots danced before her eyes. She couldn't see very well, she was swaying and she could hear some ringing in her ears. Her opponents eminently noticed her state.

"ray pulse!" shouted one of them. Dark-haired woman had no time neither strength to dodge. She closed her eyes preparing for the blow but in the same moment

"armor brass" she heard very well know voice. She opened her eyes only to see tall figure in trench coat, with auburn hair, shielding them both with blue barrier.

"touch arm!" cried her savior. The suits attacked as well and the fight continued for another minute or something and the suits were naturally defeated. Auburn-haired man pulled down his barrier and turned towards her. She looked up at him with dimmed, glassy eyes. She wanted to say, something, to apologize and explain, but she couldn't find her voice, her world started to spin around, she tripped and fell down to the ground loosing consciousness. The last thing she heard was his voice and then was nothing. Just darkness.

Dante caught Zhalia in his arms, before she could hit the ground. He put his palm on her forehead but he removed it quickly.

'she has very high fever. I have to take her away form here as fast as possible. She needs quiet place to recover.' he thought looking down at her. He sighed, he already had injured and unconscious Lok on his hands, and now there was also Zhalia. He couldn't just leave her here. He started to walk away from the place. He closed his eyes for a while thinking about these circumstances in which he had found himself. They all(he, Lok, Cherit and Sophie) were in Paris to get the titan and treasures of Sir Lancelot. They failed to get the titan, because Rassimov attacked and destroyed it. Amber eyed man felt shivers ran down his spine, when he remembered the powers he witnessed. Well but back to the story. Lok got injured in the process and they had to come back. They couldn't go by normal plane or train the teenaged boy wasn't in condition. In that situation Dante called for Foundation plane, but it wasn't like it could come straight away, so they had to wait a bit in Notre Dame. He however couldn't get rid of the feeling of worry and anxiousness so he decided to take a walk. He told Sophie to call him when the plane will be there to pick them up and he went out. He wandered around the city for a while, not paying attention to where he was going. His thoughts were engaged elsewhere. He had been thinking about the mission, Rassimov's powers, the spell Sophie found…suddenly he heard the sounds of fight a seeker fight. He ran there and closer he got, the better he could hear those people and to his surprise and shock he distinguished Zhalia's voice. That made him go even faster and soon he saw her. It was clear that she was tried and she was loosing, the fight. He quickly ran to her rescue. It was an reflexes action. He sighed again, his mobile rang.

'That's probably Sophie' he thought 'I better hurry up'

With that he sped up a little, not much however. He didn't want to harm Zhalia.

* * *

The first thing Zhalia felt as was warm and some kind of softness beneath her. She blinked few times and opened her eyes. She still felt a slight burning in them, but it was better than before. She looked around, trying to remember what had happened. She surely wasn't in her flat in Rotterdam. Slowly the remembrance of what happened in France came back to her. The suits…the fight…Dante. She sat up, and eminently felt her world spin.

"You better lie down" she heard by her side. She turned there, and saw Dante standing in open door, he went in. "you're still sick Zhalia, sudden movements aren't good for you"

He helped her lie, down, pushing her back gently. She did not protest. She did not have strength to fight him, so she just obeyed. Auburn-haired man took a chair, and sat down by her side.

"How are you feeling?" he asked with deep concern

"I'm…I'm just a little dizzy" she said. Her voice was quiet and coarse. He eminently reached the bedside table and poured her some water from decanter to glass and gave it to her, helping her sit down. She gave him a grateful look and drank it slowly.

"any better?" he asked her and she nodded

"Thanks" she replied as she put the glass away. Her voice still was weak but it improved. There was silence for a while, as if none of them knew what to say. Zhalia bowed her head and studied the blanket.

"Zhalia" Dante brought her attention back to himself "can you tell me something?"

There was a pause.

"What where you doing in Paris with 39 degree fever? "he asked finally "in that state you should have been at home resting and not walking around crowded city in another country and on top of that picking up fights with suits. What ever came over you?"

She looked down. The concern and gentleness in his voice was even deepened.

"Zhalia?" he asked her "can you answer me please? What where you doing there?"

"I…" she looked away "I wanted to help you out…to repay for my betrayal."

"And you had to do this while being sick?" he asked while shaking his head "you do realize that it had been pointless and in vain?"

Dark-haired woman looked down. He was right. She had failed. She had lost and she made him help HER instead.

"I'm sorry" she whispered

"What for?" he asked a bit surprised

"For failing again" she answered shamefully "I was supposed to help you, make up to you for my betrayal and all that…but I ended up owing even more to you. I made you help me, and I put you in so much trouble connected with having me here, and nursing me. Sorry"

Amber eyed seeker sighed again as he shook his head at her.

"Zhalia" he sighed "there is nothing to be sorry for. We all forgave you, even Sophie. And if you want honest truth you already repented for you betrayal. The moment when you helped me on the roof and the moment when you changed your sides and got rid of Klaus. I know how difficult it must have been for you. He was for you what Metz is for me, and as to the second thing…I don't mind taking care of you"

With the last words he reached out with his hand to caress her cheek, looking at her with affection.

"now" he said after a while "I think it's time you've gone back to sleep"  
"I'm not tired" she protested but it wasn't very convincing "I really…"

"You really need to get some sleep" answered Dante smiling affectionately as he pushed her down with gentleness "you still have fever and you've already had enough excitement "

Zhalia opened her mouth to protest again but auburn haired man put his finger on her lips

"go to sleep" he said "no discussion. You need rest. If you'd feel worse or you'd need anything call."

With that he once more caressed her cheek walked away towards the door

"Dante" she called after him. He turned in door "I love you"

He smiled,turned around and returned her.

"And I love you too" he said as he gave her kiss on the forehead " with whole my heart. But now no more talking, go back to sleep"

Then he left her for good, only glancing at her once before he closed the door behind him. Dark-haired woman sighed and smiled half-consciously before closing her eyes and falling back asleep.

* * *

Was it good or bad? I just couldn't get this idea out of my head lately and I'm feeling so romantic….I must say I blame Andrew Davis's "Sense and Sensibility" :).


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